PFF urges govt to solve fishermen's problems

KARACHI - Since the inception of Pakistan, no government has thought about fishermen's welfare. Karachi is the city of fishers named after a fisher woman, Mai Kalachi, said Muhammad Ali Shah Chairman of Pakistan Fisher folk Forum (PFF).
He was addressing a group of students from SPARC office Karachi on Saturday, who visited PFF secretariat at Ibrahim Hyderi.
According to PFF official Sami Memon, the children shared that they have observed extreme poverty, ignorance and violation of human and children's rights, and PFF is working to end these violations.
Shah said that the rulers had been ignoring the fishermen since 1947 and they had been deprived from all the basic needs of life. Consequently, the fishermen's children don't go to the schools rather start fishing with their parents.
He mentioned the ILO's Conventions on the fisheries and said that the fishing was the most hazardous sector of the economy, most of these Pakistan has ratified but there is no social and institutional mechanism that could stop children getting involved in the hazardous sector.
He said that there were no basic facilities in the fishing communities. Scarcity of schools, lack of safe drinking water and proper nutrition our children's health was deteriorating. And they become victims of malnutrition. He said that 70 per cent of fish resources had been depleted due to excessive fishing by deep sea trawlers and pollution.
Shah emphasised on the children to learn about issues of fishing communities' children and moreover, to share these issues with other children at their schools to establish a strong network of children across Pakistan.
Children can play pivotal role in awakening our masses. PFF chairperson said that PFF had been working to eliminate poverty in the fishing communities by advancing social justice for them and would form children's units in the fishing communities who will join children across Pakistan. Later, the children were taken on the boats to visit the sea.
Nazra Jahan, SPARC children in-charge, and others were also present on the occasion